Mail-crane and operating means therefor



G. J. BARRY.

MAIL CRANE AND 0P ERATING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, I918.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920. I

G. J. BARRY.

MIAIL CRANE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED jun 19, 1918.

1,360,354, Patented Nov 30, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- G. J. BARRY. MAIL CRANE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I9, 1918.

1,360,354. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

GARRETT J. BARRY, 0F SAN'DUSKY, OHIO.

MAIL-CRANE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR.

Application filed June 19,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GARRETT J. BARRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Cranes and Operating Means Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to mail cranes, and has for its'general object to provide a crane of this character which may be conveniently operated from a moving mail car to automatically bring a mail bag on said crane into operative relation to the catcher with which such cars are ordinarily provided. A further object of the invention is to provide a crane of this character which is generally efficient in operation and which can be conveniently reset after having been operated. Further objects of the invention will be realized in and through the construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated in the drawings forming part hereof, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a train, showing the manner in which my invention cotiperates with the standard mail car equipment; Fig. 2 a sectional elevation of the mail crane and the adjacent track; Fig. 3 a similar elevation of the mail crane, taken at right angles to Fig. 2; Fig. 4: a sectional plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Figs. 5 and 6 sectional elevations, and Fig. 7 a detail in section, of the mechanism for rotating and locking tl e mail crane shaft; Figs. 8 and 9 details in perspective of the mechanism for rotating the crane shaft; Fig. 10 an elevation of a portion of a mail car showing the manner in which the crane operatingmechanism carried thereby sup ported and operated, the roller being in elevated position; Fig. 11 a detail of the roller supporting and operating means, showing the roller in its depressed or operating position and Fig. 12 a sectional view corresponding to the line 12-12 of Fig. 10.

The complete mechanism includes a rotary crane shaft having the usual arms for supporting a mail hag, means tending to rotate said shaft to bring a mail bag in operative relation to the catcher on a mail car, a looking device normally preventing the rotation of said shaft, means for disengaging the locking device from operative relation to the crane shaft, and means carried by the car Specification of Letters Patent.

1918. Serial No. 240,728.

for automatically operating such disengagmg means. I

In the drawings forming part hereof, 1 represents one of the rails of a track and 2 a mail coach of a train, said coach having the usual doorway 3 to which there is pivoted the shaft 1 of the mail bag catcher, the catcher arm whereof is indicated at 5 and the operating arm whereof is indicated at 6. Rigid with the shaft 4: is an arm 7 (see Figs. 10 and 11), projecting into the interior of the coach 2 through a slot 8. Connected, to the inner end of said arm is a link 9, which is shown as extending downwardly adjacent to the inner wall of the coach and through the floor thereof, with its lower end connectedto one of the arms 10 of a lever, the other arm 11of which is connected to a rod or link 13. The opposite end of the rod or link 13 is connected to one arm 14 of an angle lever, the opposite arm 15 of said lever being connected by a link 16 with a rod 17 carrying a roller 18 at its lower end. The parts 14-17 and the front end of the rod 13 are shown as mounted within a housing 19 carried by the floor of the coach, the lever 11-, 15 being pivoted to a bracket 20 in said housing and the lower end of the housing being contracted, as shown at 19 to provide a vertical guide'for the rod 17. The parts are so arranged that, when the catcher is in its inoperativeposition, the bottom of the roller 18 will be about 5-1; inches above the level of the rail 1 and, when the catcher is in the operative position shown in Fig. 1, the bottom of said roller will be substantially at the level of the top of said rail.

21 denotes a vertical housing shown as supportedon an extension of one of the cross ties, said housing having a door 22 which may be provided with a lock to permit access to and prevent tampering with the parts therein. The particular cross tie illustrated herein may be a metal channel having its flanges 23 extending downwardly and its web 24; providing a cover for the operating lever therebeneath. A plate 25 is shown as extending transversely of the housing2l and will be secured to the same in any suitable manner, as by welding, where the housing is of metal. Extending through a central aperture in the plate 25 is the vertical crane shaft 26, said shaft extending through the coverplate' 21 of said housing and being provided with the usual arms 27 and 28 for supporting a mail bag,

Patented Nov. 30, 1920. V

indicated at 29 on Fig. l. The arm '27 is pivoted to a yoke on the top of the crane shaft and is counterbalanced to cause it to assume a vertical position when relieved of the weight of the bag. The arm 28 is pivoted so that it can drop to a vertical position by gravity when the mail bag is disconnected therefrom by the catcher. The construction of the arms 27 and 28 is that ordinarily employed with mail cranes and, in its details, forms no part of my invention.

Suitably secured to the plate 25, as by lag screws 30, is sleeved supporting member 81 having vertically extending stop projections 32 and and a spiral track 33 extending between said projections. Rigid with the shaft 26 is a cooperating member 34 having a hub portion carrying a spiral rib 36 one end 37 whereof, cooperates with the stop projection 32, and the other whereof cooperates with the stop projection 33. lhe lower surface of the rib 36 is inclined complemcntarily to the inclination of the track 33, there being rollers 38 mounted in recesses provided in the lower surface of the rib 37, said. rollers moving along the track 33. 39

denotes a cup which is adjustable along the shaft 26 by means of a nut 40 threaded on the lower end of said shaft, there being a lock-nut e1. below the nut 40 for the purpose of retaining the latter, and the cup39 in any position to which they may be adjusted. Surrounding the lower portion of the shaft 26 is a helical spring 4&2, the lower end whereof extends within the cup 39 and is connected to the shaft, the upper end of said spring engaging a lug 4E3 projecting downwardly from the plate 25.

On the upper surface of the rib 37 is a locking projection 37 extending transversely of said rib and being angular in out line, The lower end of said rib constitutes a stop projection which cooperates with the projection 32.

Secured to the plate at one side of the members 31 and in is a block it. The face of this block which is presented toward the members 31 ant 34: is concave. Extending through said block are rods s5, said rods being threaded and provided with nuts 456 to secure them in position and clamp the block to the plate 25, the upper ends of the rods projecting through the head-plate 47 having a central a ert-ure for the u oer end of a rod as hawing a collar 4:9 thereon above said block, there being a helical spring 50 interposed between said collar and the plate The portion. of the rod 48 which evtenc s through the block a l is preferably angular in section and slides within a similarly shaped bore through said block, whereby the rod may reciprocate with respect to said block *ithout rotating. Projecting from the rod l8 above the block is a locking dog 51 adapted to overhang the rib 36 and having an angular notch 52 therein adapted to receive the angular locking projection 37 on said rib and thereby prevent the rotation of the shaft 26 by the spring l2.

The rod d8 is preferably made in two parts having reversely threaded ends connected by a correspondingly threaded sleeve :33, enabling the effective length of said rod to be varied. Tl e lower end of the rod projects through an opening in the web 24: and connected to one end of a lever 54;, which may be conveniently pivoted to the flanges 23*, the opposite end of said lever being provided with a vertical extension or blade 55 projecting through the web 24 and a guide block 56 secured thereto, the upper surface of said block oeing beveled downwardly in opposite direction from said blade.

With the parts constructed and arranged as described, the operation will be as follows The mail crane shaft having been set and locked with its arms 27 and 28 projecting parallel with the track, as by means of the handwheel 57, and a mail bag having been applied to said arms in the usual manner, the plate will project through the guideblock 56 from about to inch. The opera tor onv the mail car sets the catcher in the position shown in Fig. 1, thereby depressing the roller 18 to about the level of the top of toe rail 1. This roller will be carried some or feet in advance of the catcher in order to depress the blade and permit the spring 42 to throw the shaft and thus bring the arms and the mail bag carried thereby in operative relation to the catcher before the latter reaches the bag. Should the roller project somewhat below the blade 55, as is preferable, it will ride up the inclined surface of the block 56, before depressing the said blade, thereby rocking the lever carrying said blade and lifting the dog'51 above the locking projection 37. The resiliency of the spring 42 permits such slight rocking of the main crane shaft as will. allowthe angular lower face of the dog to clear the angular side face of said projection. Immediately upon the release of the dog from the locking projection, the spring 412 will rotate the shaft 526 to the position shown in Fig. l, the shaft moving downwardly during such rotation, and the catcher will remove the mail bag in the usual manner, the arms 27 and 2S thereupon swinging tovertical position, as is customary. The operator for the crane can then apply another mail bag to these arms and reset the shaft through the handwheel 5'7. During this operation, the shaft 26 will be elevated by reason of the rollers 33 running upon the track 33 until such time as the locking projection 3'? catches beneath the dog 52. Unnecessary rotation of the shaft 26 is prevented by reason of the steps 32 and 33 which are arranged to limit such rotation to approximately one-quarter revolution.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

l. The combination, with a track and a car movable therealong, of a rotatable mail crane shaft, means tending to rotate said shaft, a locking member carried by said shaft, a rod extending parallel with said shaft and having a locking member cooperating with the first mentioned locking member, yielding means tending to hold said locking members in engagement, and means operable from said car for moving said rod thereby to disengage its locking member from the first mentioned locking member.

2. The combination with a rotatable mail crane shaft, of a projection carried thereby, a locking device carried by such projection, a supporting device having an inclined track located beneath said projection, anti-friction means interposed between said projection and said track, means tending to rotate said shaft, stops cooperating with said shaft to limit the rotary movement thereof in opposite directions, a rod extending parallel with said shaft and having a locking member cooperating with the first mentioned locking member, means engaging said rod for yieldingly holding said locking members in engagement, and means for operating said rod against the resistance of such yielding means for disengaging said locking members.

3. The combination, with a rotatable mail crane shaft, of a rib projecting therefrom, one or more rollers on the under side of said rib, an angular locking device on said rib, a supporting device having an inclined track for said roller or roller, a spring surrounding said shaft and connected thereto and tending to rotate the shaft as well as to move the same in the direction of its length, stops cooperating with said rib to limit the rotary movement of said shaft, a rod extending parallel with said shaft and having a locking member cooperating with the first mention ed locking member, a spring cooperating with said rod to hold said members in such locking engagement, and means for operating said rod against the action of the spring thereby to disengage said locking members.

4. The combination, with a track and a car movable therealong, of a longitudinally adjustable and rotatable shaft, a mail bag support. thereon, means tending to rotate said shaft in a direction to bring the mail bag support in operative relation to said track and car, a projection carried by said shaft, an inclined support for said projection and along which said projection is adapted to move, means cooperating with said projection and support for limiting the rotary movement of said shaft in opposite directions, a locking member carried by said shaft, a cooperating locking member, means tending to hold said locking members in operative relation to each other, and means operable from the car for disengaging the second locking member from the first mentioned locking member.

5. The combination, with a track and a car movable therealong, of a rotary mail crane shaft, a spring surrounding said shaft and connected thereto and tending to rotate said shaft as well as to move the same longitudinally, a projection carried by said shaft, a support partly surrounding said standard and having an inclined track, anti-friction means interposed between said projection and said track, stops carried by said supporting member and adapted to limit the rotation of said shaft in opposite directions, a locking member carried by said shaft, a re ciprocable rod adjacent to said shaft, a locking member carried thereby and cooperating with the first mentioned locking member, a spring surrounding said rod and normally holding said members in engagement, and means, operable from the car, for moving the rod in a direction to release its look ing member from the first mentioned looking member.

(5. The combination, with a track and a car movable therealong, of a rotatable and longitudinally adjustable mail crane shaft, means connected to said shaft and tending to rotate the same as well as move it longitudinally, a spiral. rib projecting from said shaft, a support partly surrounding said shaft and having a spiral path on the upper portion thereof and provided with stop proj ections at the upper and lower ends of said path, anti-friction devices interposed between said rib and said path, an angular locking proiection on the upper surface of said rib, a recipr ocable rod extending parallel with said standard, a locking dog carried by said rod and having an angular recess cooperating with the angular locking projection, an adjustable spring tending to hold said rod with its dog in operative relation to the said locking projection and means operable from said car for moving the rod in a direction to disengage said dog from said locking projection.

7. The combination, with a rotatable mail crane shaft, of a rib projecting therefrom and having spiral upper and lower surfaces extending partly about said shaft, an angular locking device on the upper surface of said rib, a supporting device having an inclined track, anti-friction devices interposed between said track and the lower surface of said rib, a spring surrounding said shaft and connected thereto and tending to rotate the shaft as well as to move the same downwardly, stops cooperating with said shaft to limit the rotary movement thereof in opjg 1,360,35et

posite directions, a reeiprccable device havmember, and means for operating said device ing an angulariy notched locking member against the action of such yielding means, adapted to overhang the upper surface of thereby to disengage said locking members. 10 said rib and engage the locking member In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my thereof, means coijperating with said device signature. for yieldingly holding its locking member in engagement With the first mentioned locking GARRETT J. BARRY. 

